Thierry Mugler

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Thierry Mugler, born 1948 in Strasbourg, France is a fashion designer, photographer, and creator of a fashion design company of the same name. While he was trained as a ballet dancer, he also studied design and created garments for friends. He moved to Paris in 1970 and worked as a window-dresser, designing clothing as a side job. He founded his label for women in 1974, and began designing for men four years later.
Mugler's work over the next two decades had a unique style that was very much of its time: it was strong, angular, sometimes almost cruel. Shoulders were wide and padded; waists were wasp-like. Prints were banished: Mugler's clothes came in solid, dominating colours. Collars had exaggerated points, or flamelike cutouts. The insect kingdom was a constant influence, as were the ladies and gentlemen of film noir. In his most extreme runway garments, PVC was often used, as were space and robot themes.
Thierry Mugler's fashion house did not survive the 1990s, though vintage versions of his more wearable clothes are still popular on auction sites like eBay. Owned since 1997 by the French cosmetics and skincare company Clarins, Thierry Mugler is now mostly known for its perfume division. The couture division was closed in 2003 due to increasing losses, and all Thierry Mugler ready-to-wear is now produced under license agreements, as is a line of eyewear.
Mugler himself has turned to other artistic interests. He has published two books featuring his fashion designs and photography, Thierry Mugler (1988) and Fashion Fetish Fantasy (1998). He also dabbles in film and video - he directed the video for George Michael's "Too Funky," featuring a parade of Mugler fashions, including the famous motorcycle dress - and collaborated with Cirque du Soleil on its 2003 show "Zumanity" at the NYNY Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. It is the first 18+ show from the company.
In Spring 2007, the New York Times noted that new fashion collections by Balenciaga, Dolce and Gabbana and Alexander McQueen seemed highly influenced by the Mugler style. The article quoted Mugler as saying he was working on a capsule couture collection to be sold at a new boutique in Paris set to open in autumn 2007, and that he was at work on theatrical extravaganzas for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and the Crazy Horse in Paris.


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